The mainstream media have mostly picked upon Peter Navarro’s comments on Germany’s trade surplus with the United States during his speech at the National Association of Business Economics on Monday (6 March 2017). But other European countries should pay closer attention to what he says too. The White House …
EU FTAs & bilateral ties
Opinion: EU Trump-era FTA-turbo-charge rings hollow
Current Brussels talk about turbo-charging bilateral free trade negotiations rings hollow. In 2017, less is more, opines Iana Dreyer. EU member state trade ministers met in sunny Valletta, the capital of the Mediterranean island of Malta, the country that holds the rotating presidency, on Friday (3 March 2017). The …
EU US pharma regulatory cooperation deal completed
The deal was clinched in the very last days of the Obama administration. After putting final touches to the text, Washington and Brussels have now initiated a regulatory cooperation agreement on pharmaceutical ‘good manufacturing practices’ inspections. The agreement is ready to come into force in November 2017. Not all …
TDI: Commission to phase out China solar panel duties
The European Commission is extending trade defence duties applied to solar panels and cells from China by another eighteen months. It is also planning to phase them out gradually. The move comes after a first failed initial proposal to extend those duties by two years following an expiry review finalised …
EU member states criticise Swiss trade and free movement barriers
Two years after it launched a review of its relationships with Switzerland, the Council has released its conclusions on the state of the EU’s deep and complex relationship with its small rich neighbour. Relations are good, but they need a framework and a fix in the area of agriculture and …
In brief: EU and Armenia conclude new cooperation agreement
The EU and Armenia have concluded a Comprehensive and Enhanced Cooperation Agreement today. The announcement was made during a visit to Brussels by the country’s president Serzh Sargysan on Monday (27 February 2017). The pact replaces the Association Agreement and its in-built Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement agreed between …
EU Turkey customs union: trade committee in quest to square trade-human rights circle
The European Parliament is preparing to back the launch of customs union talks with Turkey but is engaging in a careful balancing act on human rights. The European Parliament’s trade committee is preparing a report on the planned launch of negotiations with Turkey to upgrade the EU’s existing customs …
WTO appellate report strengthens EU case in pork ban dispute with Russia
Russia is probably regretting having appealed the first WTO dispute panel finding against one of its most politically charged trade tussle with the EU. In September 2016, the dispute settlement body in Geneva ruled that Russia’s import ban on pork products from Baltic states introduced in 2014 and extended …
French constitutional court seized on CETA – to rule within one month
More than one hundred French MPs called on the constitutional court on Wednesday (22 February 2017) in Paris to rule on the compatibility of the EU Canada agreement CETA with France’s constitutional order. The French court has one month to decide on the case. An initial cursory legal analysis of the …
In brief: Russia appeals WTO ruling on commercial vehicle duties
Russia has appealed against a January 2017 WTO dispute settlement ruling indicting it for not following the rulebook in applying trade defence duties against German and Italian commercial vehicles. The WTO’s main disagreement was the fact that Russia only took into account the damage to one company – Sollers – in …
